Carman wins YALSA’s 2019 Symposium Diverse Program Stipend

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services (YALSA) has selected Elsworth Carman, Director at the Iowa City Public Library, as the winner of its 2019 Symposium Diverse Program Stipend.

Carman will receive $1,500 to offset travel costs to present his program, Transgender Literacy: Serving and Engaging Transgender Teens, at YALSA’s 2019 YA Services Symposium in Memphis, TN on November 3rd. The stipend is generously funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

Carman’s program will share strategies to help design and provide services that welcome, engage, and affirm transgender and non-binary teen patrons. The program will also explore YA books related to the transgender experience, as well as guide participants on how to assess their library’s current practices.

YALSA’s 2019 YA Services Symposium will take place November 1-3 with the theme: Show Up and Advocate: Supporting Teens in the Face of Adversity. Advanced registration is open through October 13. Housing reservations are not guaranteed after October 1. More information about the symposium can be found at www.ala.org/yalsa/yasymposium.

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: [email protected].